Old Dominion's first CAA season inspires, confirms lofty goals

No way a true freshman quarterback comes in at mid-season and performs at an All-American level, just like there's no way a start-up program finishes near the top of one of the nation's best conferences in just its third year.

Yet that's exactly what happened at Old Dominion, which caused head coach Bobby Wilder to feed his five-year plan into the shredder and to accelerate the possible.

The Monarchs and their relentlessly optimistic Big Whistle surprised most observers with a second-place finish in their first season as competing members of the Colonial Athletic Association. They earned a playoff berth, won 10 games and took the No. 2 team in the nation, Georgia Southern, to the wire in an FCS second-round game.

"I thought it would be 2013 before we were at this level," said Wilder, who proposed and agreed to a 10-year contract extension that will keep him at ODU through 2021 if he remains for the length of the deal.

ODU (10-3) built on the success of its first two years with a quick-strike offense, daring and productive special teams, and an opportunistic defense that made plays until overcome by injuries and Georgia Southern's triple-option offense.

Wilder is emphatic that the goal is to win a national championship, maybe even more emphatic after the Monarchs' first lap around the CAA and last Saturday's playoff loss to one of FCS' traditional powers.

"We're incredibly grateful how everybody is telling us we had a wonderful season and exceeded expectations," Wilder said. "That's a great thing to have so many people supporting us. But if we stop there, then we'll accept the fact that we lost our last game.

"I want the mindset of this program to be it's unacceptable to lose our last game. I don't want them to ever think that's part of the thought process. Because if they accept losing, even though it was to the No. 2 team in the nation, then we won't reach our goal and the ultimate goal here is to compete for and win a national championship."

The Monarchs led the CAA in scoring (36.7 ppg), total offense (439.1 ypg) and turnover margin (plus-13), due largely to the emergence of quarterback Taylor Heinicke. The true freshman from Atlanta seamlessly directed an offense in which 14 players scored touchdowns and eight receivers caught at least 10 passes.

"I said after the Georgia Southern game, I think he's the best quarterback in college football at the FCS level," Wilder said.

Wilder said the team had two defining moments: Heinicke's premature career launch midway through the Massachusetts game; and the heartbreaking loss to Towson.

Heinicke performed superbly in the second half against UMass, after three-year starter Thomas DeMarco went down with a severe ankle sprain, and took off from there. Heinicke actually elevated ODU's offense, completing 69 percent of his passes for 2,385 yards, with a stunning 25-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

The Monarchs lost at home to Towson by allowing a 63-yard touchdown catch-and-run on 4th-and-29 with just more than a minute remaining. Wilder said that he told the players afterward that how they responded to the loss would define their character and the season.

The Monarchs ran off four consecutive wins to close the regular season, tie for second and earn a playoff berth. ODU was awarded a first-round home game, against intra-city rival Norfolk State, which became the 21st consecutive sellout at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The Monarchs finished sixth in the nation in average attendance.

ODU will sorely miss defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron, the CAA's defensive player of the year, and several starters along the offensive and defensive fronts. But the Monarchs return 15 starters, including Heinicke, as well as both kickers and a slew of underclass depth.

Job one, Wilder said, is improving the defense.

"I feel like we have a national championship offense," he said. "I feel like we have national championship special teams. And we had an average defense — a defense that played well at times this year, but statistically, we're down near the bottom in most categories in the CAA and we're middle-to-lower pack in the country. That's unacceptable."

Though Wilder agreed to a long-term deal that provides stability for the program and his family, he said the push toward improving the defense is immediate.

"I'm signing a 10-year contract, but I look at it as a day-to-day contract," he said. "We have to win next year. Whether it's transfer players coming in at mid-year, transfer players coming in in the summer — whatever it takes to get this defense to match where we are right now on offense."

If the Monarchs fractionally improve their defense, they could play well into December.